The Sword that Guards Against the Darkness
by Isildur241
Summary: I am the fire that burns against cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. And once the fire dies, so does the world. *Planeshift*


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"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come." _– _Oath of the _Night's Watch_

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_He floated. He floated in the cold darkness._

_He saw shapes in the darkness. He saw a wolf, but bigger than a wolf, that spoke to him with his brother's voice, and a girl with green eyes, and a crow. He saw a girl with hair of flame, beckoning from the snow. He was riding, riding hard through the darkness, a castle ahead. He saw a hard, lean woman, and bountiful meals of eel and fish. He saw tears and broken promises. He saw Jeyne, alone. _

_He saw Fire._

_He saw twin castles on a river, and the death of an army. He saw dragons to the east, and a pale-haired girl with purple eyes. He saw dogs and Dogs, and lightning lords, hanged men, flayed men, dead fathers. He saw his war. _

_He saw the cold._

Winter is coming, he thought. He floated on.

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The rider reared his horse and came to a sudden stop as he crested the hill. Down in the valley below was something that shouldn't be. He took one last look as he turned, riding back the way he came. The blazing phoenix on the blue-fielded banner he carried stood against the sky, filled with crows and ravens as it was.

A field of dead surrounded the twin castles.

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_A sound came out of the darkness as he floated. Quiet at first, but ascending in volume 'till he heard it in his bones. The notes pained him, raked his memory, his consciousness. A message, they had been. The message had been received._

_In a coat of gold or a coat of red,/A lion still has claws._

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The knight dismounted, and handed the reigns off to the man on guard. The knight slammed open the door to the great hall, his lord sitting atop the throne at the head of the hall. The knight bowed, and his red-haired master bade him stand. He began his story.

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_His brothers and sisters were all around them, though they were not there. He could feel their presences, though miles were between them. He could_ smell them. _All were alive. But not father, and not mother, and not one of their kin._

Robb floated on.

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A century of mounted knights left the gates, led by their lord himself. They rode, not believing what they would see. They rode.

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A huge grey wolf padded up to the body on the ground, and sniffed it carefully. Satisfied, the beast settled down next to his pack-brother to wait. It would not be long now.

He floated on.

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Benjen Stark stared at the torch in front of him. The fire that lives against the cold, both of them. The torch flickered.

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END PROLOGUE

A few notes:

Yes, posting a new story instead of updating an existing one. Don't worry, I am working on another chapter of _Canon_. I like to have options on what to write, however, and inspiration for this struck me quickly. I may start the FE7/_Amber Chronicles_ crossover soon too, but no guarantees.

Timeline note: In the _Song of Ice and Fire_ timeline, this starts near the middle or end of book three, _A Storm of Swords_, after the Red Wedding. Anything before is canon. Anything after is fair game. As for FE7, it takes place between Lyn and Eliwood's stories, likely.

Expect a system similar to Martin's for the chaptering, but slightly different. I will have multiple POV characters, and while I may switch between POV in-chapter, the chapter will stay confined to one "group".

I own neither Fire Emblem, nor A Song of Ice and Fire. One belongs to Nintendo et al., the other to George R. R. Martin.

I don't know if I'm forgetting anything, so I'll end here for now. There may be nothing to review yet, so I won't ask for any. Expect fast chapter one (like seriously this time).


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